Times really have changed. What was once considered to be acceptable function centre chairs and tables to offer potential clients is now simply unacceptable.
It’s a highly competitive world out there and there’s money to be made if you can get your offering right and capture your share of the lucrative events market. If you’re considering refurbishing your venues function centre, there’s a lot more to it than you may realise and it doesn’t start with just choosing chairs.
I’ve put together a short checklist of some really important things to consider to ensure that you invest your money in a furniture solution that will work for you and your clientele, as well as be an investment in the future of your business.
1. Know your target market: Are you looking to attract the corporate crowd or the wedding crowd or perhaps it’s a combination of both? This will play a big part in not only what type of chair you need to choose but also how your room will be designed and what services you need to have on offer.
2. Consider the future: As the title of the article explains, ‘there’s no future in going backwards’. This means that you’re investing in the future success of you operation. Buy wisely and invest in not just good quality furniture but in a company that will be there with you as you grow.
3. Be considerate of lead times: If you want something custom made for your venue, there is always a lead time involved. Typically imported banquet furniture will take 8-10 weeks from the time you place your order. Anyone who tells you anything less than that – buyer beware.
4. Reference checking: Insist on reference checking your potential suppliers to ensure that what you’re being promised is what you will actually get. You’re investing in your supplier as much as you’re investing in the furniture itself. If you need to add to your banquet chairs in a year’s time and the company you bought them from is not around anymore then chances are you will not get be able to get the same chairs. With so many start-ups these days, you need to look for a company that has been established in business for at least as long as the product warranty they’re offering – no explanation required on that one.
5. Quoting and selection process: Once you have satisfied your concerns with the above criteria, it’s time to start selecting some chairs and asking the supplier for some quotes based on your final finishes and numbers. Ask your supplier to bring down some samples and explain the different features on offer. Really press them on the technical details to ensure that they know their product.
6. Product certification: Any supplier offering products for function seating that is considered a high frequency, heavy use environment, should have some Australian certification that they can show you to back up what they are telling you.
7. Environmental policy: Every choice that you make today will impact on the environmental future of our environment and the future that we’ll leave in place for our kids. Make sure the company that you deal with has a published environmental policy for their business as well as any relevant environmental certification for their function centre furniture.
